🔗 Share this article Satellite Imagery Reveal Iranian Naval Forces and Nuclear Sites Targeted by US-Israeli Strikes. Multiple joint strikes has according to analysis sunk or crippled no fewer than 11 Iran's navy ships since the weekend, recently obtained orbital imagery demonstrate, with missile bases and nuclear sites also being targeted. Photographs of the southern Konarak naval base and the Bandar Abbas installation, which is located on the Strait of Hormuz and is home to the main command of the Iran's naval force, show black smoke pouring from a number of warships on Monday and Tuesday. Naval Forces Incurred Significant Damage Included in the ships sunk was the IRINS Makran, the country's largest naval vessel which had been used as a drone carrier. Satellite images showed thick smoke pouring from the vessel which had been docked at the Bandar Abbas base. Intelligence reports state that at least five vessels at Bandar Abbas were "damaged or eliminated". Photos of the southern end of the harbor depict smoke emanating from the Makran, while additional vessels appear to be harmed, with a single one seen burning. At Konarak, photos display multiple damaged vessels, with analysis pointing to damage to six ships. Images taken on the start of the week also demonstrate that multiple structures at the base have been destroyed. "For a long time the Tehran government has disrupted global maritime traffic," the head of US Central Command said. "At present, there is not a single Iranian vessel operational in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Sea of Oman, and we will continue." Some vessels allegedly sunk may have been obscured in aerial photos by weather conditions or battle damage, or hit in open waters, and have not been independently verified. Additional information stated that one Iranian ship was going down near Sri Lankan waters, prompting a search and rescue mission. Rocket Bases and Nuclear Locations Hit The destruction of Iranian missile bases and the prevention of enrichment activities were stated as other aims of the air campaign. Aerial imagery also showed impacts against the southern Khorgu base and north-western Tabriz missile missile bases, and at the Konarak air base, where rocket warehouses and bunkers were struck. Over at the Choqa Balk-e drone UAV facility to the west of Kermanshah, significant damage was observed to warehouses, underground facilities and unmanned aircraft systems. Damage was also observed at a surveillance station at the Zahedan airbase in eastern parts of the country, near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Significantly, the new round of strikes have reportedly hit installations at Natanz – widely believed to be at the heart of Iran's atomic program. An international watchdog stated that the affected buildings were used for access to the facility's below-ground nuclear plant and that "no release of radioactive material" was likely. Wider Consequences and Assessment Observers suggested that the attacks appeared to have "greatly reduced" the Iran's naval ability to conduct standard operations using its biggest vessels. However, it was emphasised that Tehran maintains the ability to launch unconventional attacks at sea through the use of drones, midget subs and its so-called "clandestine network" of tankers. The full extent of the damage caused to Iranian military facilities is still uncertain, with attacks said to be continuing. Photos also shows extensive damage to the command center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the city of Tehran. A significant number of non-military structures also are reported to have been struck in the capital and throughout Iran since the conflict started. Toll estimates from ground sources suggest that a high number of non-combatants may have been killed in the bombardment. Amid continuing hostilities, analysis of aerial photographs will continue to document the unfolding battlefield picture.